1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device, an image forming apparatus, and an image processing system for digitally reading an image and editing the read image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a digital color copying machine for digitally color-separating a color image to read the color image, performing desired processing of the read digital image signal, and performing color recording on the basis of the edited digital color image signal has been very popular. A system obtained by connecting a color image memory apparatus, a monitor display, and a still video reproducer to the digital color copying machine is proposed by the present applicant.
A color image of a predesignated area is read from the digital color copying machine by the above system, and the read color image is temporarily stored in the color image memory apparatus. In a read mode, the readout data can be synthesized in an area at an arbitrarily designated position.
In a conventional arrangement, however, the area for synthesizing the stored image is limited to a rectangular area. Strong demand has arisen for a function of cutting an input storing image into an arbitrary shape and synthesizing it, i.e., editing a non-rectangular area.
Color image information input to the digital color copying machine is an image input from a scanner in the copying machine. Color and binary images input from a computer or the like cannot be processed.
In such a system, an image from various video devices such as a still video reproducer is temporarily stored in the color image memory apparatus, and the stored image data are sequentially sent to the color copying machine to obtain video prints. When a monitor display is connected to the digital color copying machine, stored image data can be checked.
In the system described above, however, the image input from the video device is directly output or printed. A message or command for this image cannot be synthesized with the image input from the video device, and therefore much room for improvement is left.